Kukla's Korner Hockey

The conditions might never be more ripe for a trade to land the critical big piece. Now it is up to the Ducks to pull it off.

Fifty-four wins and 116 points set franchise standards but all the Ducks were left with were memories of an awful Game 7 against the Kings and then watching them pass the Stanley Cup around to each other. Second-round exits don’t amount to very much.

And the Kings aren’t the only ones they are chasing, if you listen to one Bob Murray. “We're behind a bunch of teams,” the Ducks' general manager said.

So the Ducks are carrying around the 10th and 24th selections in the first round of the NHL draft that starts Friday in Philadelphia. They've also got two second-round picks. And they have their 2015 first-rounder to go with a bevy of young talent, all of which are “assets” as Murray's word of usage.